Wireless communication systems have developed through various generations, including a first-generation analog wireless phone service (1G), a second-generation (2G) digital wireless phone service (including interim 2.5G and 2.75G networks) and third-generation (3G) and fourth-generation (4G) high speed data/Internet-capable wireless services. There are presently many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including Cellular and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Exemplary cellular systems include the cellular Analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), the Global System for Mobile access (GSM) variation of TDMA, and newer hybrid digital communication systems using both TDMA and CDMA technologies. More recently, Long Term Evolution (LTE) has been developed as a wireless communications protocol for mobile phones and other terminals to communicate data at high speeds. LTE is based on GSM, and includes contributions from various GSM-related protocols such as Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA).
Accordingly, communications systems and devices are becoming increasingly diverse with new technological advancements. Communications devices are now able to support various different communications technologies and protocols. Indeed, not only can various communications devices operate in a communications system (e.g., over a network infrastructure), many communications device may communicate with one another using direct peer-to-peer (P2P) communications and/or using infrastructure elements where devices communicate through signals communicated via one or more base stations, access points, or other network infrastructure entities. For example, communications devices that support the Wi-Fi Direct standard may connect to each other via direct P2P connections and communicate at typical Wi-Fi speeds with minimal setup and without requiring any wireless access point. Furthermore, the LTE Direct standard uses licensed spectrum and the LTE physical layer to provide a scalable and universal framework through which equipped communications devices can discover and connect to proximate peers and thereby establish direct P2P connections within ranges up to approximately 500 meters, whereas Wi-Fi direct tends to require the devices to be in closer proximity.
As noted above, one or more intermediate base stations, access points, or other infrastructure elements typically facilitate communication between two or more wireless devices or other endpoints over a network infrastructure (e.g., through uplink and downlink channels between the endpoints and the infrastructure elements). However, at times, the loading conditions on the infrastructure elements (e.g., at a base station serving one or more wireless devices), may become excessive and thereby degrade communications quality. Furthermore, in certain cases, direct P2P communication may be faster, more efficient, more private, or otherwise advantageous to end users. Accordingly, network operators and end users can realize substantial benefits from using different P2P technologies to offload traffic from the network infrastructure, especially when two or more devices seeking to communicate are located in proximity to one another and can establish a direct P2P connection with reasonably good quality. However, direct P2P communication may be undesirable under other circumstances because always having P2P interfaces on may impact battery life, raise privacy or security concerns (e.g., where an end user does not want to be discoverable to third parties that may be unknown or otherwise untrusted), and/or interfere with enforcing lawful intercept requests, among other things.
Accordingly, in view of the above discussion, it should be appreciated that a need exists for systems that can determine appropriate conditions where traffic between two or more wireless devices seeking to communicate can be offloaded from a network infrastructure to direct P2P communications and vice versa.